SANTA CRUZ, Calif.---The countdown to the start of world championship racing in the International Melges 24 Class next spring has started at the Santa Cruz Yacht Club with a significant note: make it the Fullpower Melges 24 World Championship for 2007.
Fullpower Technologies, a new wireless nanotechnology biotech company based in Santa Cruz, is fully onboard as title sponsor for the competition scheduled May 3-12 and can even offer up its founder and CEO, Philippe Kahn, as a hometown favorite --- or his son Samuel (a.k.a. Shark), 17, who won this crown on San Francisco Bay in 2003 when he was only 13. Nicola Celon of Italy also is expected to defend the title he won in a fleet of 119 boats at Hyeres, France last summer.
Santa Cruz YC Commodore Skip Ely said, "As a part of our charter, the Santa Cruz Yacht Club is dedicated to hosting world class sailing events. In the past few years the SCYC has hosted the 2004 Lightsurf 505 World Championships, the 2006 Melges 24 North American Championships and the 2006 Moore 24 National Championships, all to much acclaim.
"The entire club is looking forward to the opportunity to host the 2007 Fullpower Melges 24 World Championship. We are very fortunate to have been able to partner with Fullpower, an innovative and local company, as the title sponsor of this world class event.
"The SCYC mission for this regatta is to provide an on-the-water racing experience second to none. In May the Monterey Bay off Santa Cruz should provide an exceptional and challenging ocean racing experience for the large fleet we expect. We are proud of the pristine waters of the Monterey Bay Marine Sanctuary in which we race, and welcome the opportunity to show them off to the host of international world class yachtsmen and women who will participate."
Even on his home waters, against the best in the world, Philippe Kahn has no illusions, despite his successes for himself and his Pegasus Racing team in several other classes, including two personal Barn Door victories in the Transpacific Yacht Race.
"The Melges 24 class is the pinnacle of sailing for non-Olympic classes," Kahn said. "It's an honor and privilege to drive a boat and race against the best in the world. The journey is the reward. I'd rather play with the best and learn."
Kahn also is the inventor of the camera cell phone whose ramifications have surpassed imagination.
"The Fullpower technology is not aimed at the sailing community," Kahn said. "When we invented the camera-phone in 1997 the focus was everyone, so
now it's fun when you see coaches using their camera-phones to take pictures and videos and share them instantly."
There are few better inshore ocean racing venues than Monterey Bay south of San Francisco on the edge of the high tech heartland known as Silicon Valley.
"Santa Cruz is a fantastic place for sailing," Kahn said. "It's an ideal tourist destination for sailors and families. You're out in the open ocean in three minutes and the wind is consistent and predictable with nice rolling waves. It's easy to just go out for an hour or two and yet have a complete day at work and spend time with the family."
His daughter Sophie, 9, also sails. "She sails her Opti four days a week out of the harbor, so we all go out on the water. Many times these days she's in the Opti and I'm in the Finn."
Kahn has competed with his son Shark in several classes, but more as competitors than father and son. Once, when they were running 1-2 in a race late in the Mumm 30 Worlds at Toronto in 2004, son fouled dad at the weather mark---and dad protested, opting not to play favorites with blood kin. Especially with blood kin. It knocked Shark out of first place in the regatta.
"Shark is a great sailor," Kahn said. "He doesn't give an inch. He's a teenager finishing high school, so he is very busy this year and sailing is less on his mind than getting into a good college. He makes me proud."
For people who wonder how someone can find time to invent the camera-phone, raise a family, run a succession of high tech companies and manage to sail at all, Kahn says, "I sleep only four hours at night but take a 35-minute catnap every day. I learned that from single-handed sailing."
The event starts with registration on May 3. Four pre-Worlds races will be run on May 5 and 6, and five days of championship racing, with two races a day, are scheduled May 8-12.
Miami, Fla. (November 15, 2006) – From January 21 to 27, 2007, the world’s top Olympic and Paralympic class sailors will be sailing on the waters of Biscayne Bay at US SAILING’s Rolex Miami OCR. For Olympic and Paralympic hopefuls, the 18th annual event is one of the world’s top competitions that will help the sailors prepare for the competition in China in 2008. The event is ranked by the International Sailing Federation (ISAF) as a Grade 1 event and features competition in all 14 Olympic and Paralympic classes. In 2006, more than 610 sailors representing 40 countries competed. Online registration and the Notice of Race for the world-class event are now available at www.RolexMiamiOCR.org.
One Additional Race Day
The 2007 US SAILING Rolex Miami OCR marks five days of fleet racing and one day of medal racing, which is one extra day compared to previous years. Saturday’s medal races follow the new Olympic and Paralympic format lining up the top 10 teams in each class on the starting line on the final day of racing.
The competition will be raced in all events selected for the next Olympic Games: 49er, 470 (Men & Women), Finn, Laser, Laser Radial, Neil Pryde RS:X (Men & Women), Star, Tornado, and Yngling. In addition, racing will be held for all the classes selected for the 2008 Paralympic Games: 2.4mR, SKUD-18, and Sonar.
On-Line Registration
On-line registration is now open for competitors. Early registration is recommended and encouraged by discounted fees for entries received by January 15, 2007. Registrations received after January 15, 2007 will be subject to late fees. Online registration and regatta information, including the Notice of Race, can be found at www.RolexMiamiOCR.org.
Expanded Winter Circuit
After last year’s success of a new winter circuit, US SAILING has teamed up once again with several U.S. and North American Class Associations to organize a winter circuit for Olympic and Paralympic class sailors in the Biscayne Bay area. Thus far, 20 regattas and training camps in various classes complementing US SAILING’s Rolex Miami OCR have been scheduled, with more to come. An overview of all the winter circuit events currently scheduled is available at www.RolexMiamiOCR.org.
Portsmouth, R.I. (November 14, 2006) – US SAILING, national governing body of the sport, and Vanguard Sailboats, a leading manufacturer of small sailboats, have announced a partnership expansion. The expansion consists of sponsorship of the 2007 U.S. Junior Triplehanded Championship and, under the new agreement, Vanguard will supply new Nomad sailboats for the event as well as provide additional support. The new agreement comes a year after US SAILING and Vanguard announced an extension and expansion of its previous partnership.
“Once again Vanguard Sailboats steps up to the plate, this time to provide our youth sailors with an opportunity to test their triplehanded skills on a modern platform complete with an asymmetrical kite,” said Dan Cooney, US SAILING’s Marketing Director. “Vanguard goes well beyond supplying the boats for many of our Championships, they work hand in hand with us to enhance the quality of these competitions.”
"Vanguard is happy to support US SAILING’s U.S. Junior Triplehanded Championship with a fleet of new Nomads. The Juniors racing these boats will find a responsive, modern one-design and the organizers will be able to spend more time and effort running the event rather than organizing borrowed boats." said Vanguard President Chip Johns.
Newport Beach, Calif. (November 13, 2006) - By the time the teams for the finals of the U.S. Women's Match Racing Championship were lined up on Saturday, spectators were in for a treat, and the finalists didn't disappoint. The finals put the team led by Deb Capozzi up against another very strong team led by Katie Pilley-Lovell. After a hard-fought battle, Capozzi and her crew of Lindsay Bartel (Bayport, N.Y.), Kelly Hand (Vancouver, Canada) and Chantal Legler (Montreal, Canada) took home the National Championship title. The U.S. Women’s Match Racing Championship, sponsored by Rolex Watch U.S.A., Inc. and Dry Creek Vineyard was hosted by Newport Harbor Yacht Club in Newport Beach, Calif., and raced on Governor Cup 21s.
It certainly was no easy win for Capozzi, particularly in the finals. Capozzi won the first race in the finals, but Pilley-Lovell – sailing with Chafee Emory (Newport, R.I.), Deb Willits (La Porte, TX) and Tara Thomas (Severna Park, Md.) - dug back in the second race to tie the series. Race 3 saw a great battle between the two, with Capozzi barely taking the win. After changing boats, the two teams went back at it. After a very exciting pre-start, Capozzi was able to control off the line, then used great boat speed to stay out in front, even with Pilley-Lovell and her team finding some great pressure and advantageous lifts. Capozzi cruised across the line to take the fourth match and win the title. Capozzi, who was on the winning boat last year, and her crew took home US SAILING's Allegra Knapp Mertz Trophy as the 2006 U.S. Women's Match Racing Champions.
By winning US SAILING’s U.S. Women’s Match Racing Championship, Capozzi has been presented with the Allegra Knapp Mertz Trophy and has qualified for a position on the starting line at the 2007 Mayor’s Cup, an ISAF Grade 2 event. For Pilley-Lovell, this was the second consecutive year she has won the Mrs. Charles Adams Trophy.
In the Petit Finals, Liz Baylis (San Rafael, Calif.) and her team of Melinda Erkelens (Piedmont, Calif.), Pease Glaser (Long Beach, Calif.) and Jo Ann Jones (Arnold, Md.) defeated the team led by Sandy Hayes (Scituate, Mass.) and her crew Kelly Dale (Long Beach, Calif.), Lee Icyda (Stuart, Fla.) and Amanda Callahan (Canton, Mass.).
Portsmouth, R.I. (November 8, 2006) – US SAILING, national governing body for the sport, has determined the dates and locations for the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Sailing in the 11 events selected for the 2008 Olympic Regatta. The sailing events selected for the 2008 Olympic Games are: Finn (Heavyweight Dinghy); Laser Radial (Women’s One Person Dinghy); Laser (Men’s One Person Dinghy); 470 Men (Men’s Two Person Dinghy); 470 Women (Women’s Two Person Dinghy); 49er (Skiff); RS:X (Men’s Windsurfer); RS:X (Women’s Windsurfer); Tornado (Multihull); Star (Men’s Keelboat); and Yngling (Women’s Keelboat). The U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Sailing will be held October 3-14, 2007 in Southern California and Newport, R.I., with the exception of the Yngling class, which has two separate non-Olympic Trials events.
Only sailors who are eligible to represent the USA at the Olympic Games are able to compete in the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Sailing. US SAILING has created a qualification system for the Laser, Laser Radial, and Star events to determine the athletes eligible to compete in the Trials.
“The USOC is committed to working in partnership with US SAILING to provide a world-class Olympic Trials event that will be the next step towards our common goal of competitive excellence in Beijing," said Steve Roush, the USOC's Chief of Sport Performance.
Dates and location for 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Sailing:
October 3-14, 2007:
49er (Open): Southwestern Yacht Club, San Diego, Calif.
470 Men & Women (Open): US Sailing Center Long Beach, Long Beach, Calif.
Finn (Open): Newport Harbor Yacht Club, Newport Beach, Calif.
Laser (33 slots): Newport, R.I. (hosted by the Rhode Island Sailing Foundation - in association with New York Yacht Club, Ida Lewis Yacht Club, and Sail Newport)
Laser Radial (22 slots): Newport, R.I. (hosted by the Rhode Island Sailing Foundation)
RS:X Men & Women (Open): Alamitos Bay Yacht Club, Long Beach, Calif.
Star (20 slots): California Yacht Club, Marina del Rey, Calif.
Tornado (Open): San Diego Yacht Club, San Diego, Calif.
In the Yngling class, two separate non-Olympic Trials events have been designated to determine the sailors to be nominated to the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team – Sailing:
June 28 – July 13, 2007: International Sailing Federation (ISAF) Combined Olympic Class World Championship, Cascais, Portugal
February 9-15, 2008: Yngling Women’s World Championship, Miami, Fla.
For the Laser, Laser Radial and Star classes, US SAILING has created a qualification system to determine the athletes who will be eligible compete in the Trials:
Laser (33 slots):
• Top 5 from the 2007 US Sailing Team Rankings as of March 2007 (www.ussailing.org/olympics/2007/rankingsystems.htm for more information).
• Top 15 eligible finishers, not already qualified, from the 2007 Laser North American Championship (June 14-17, 2007, Hyannis Yacht Club, Hyannis, Mass.).
• Top 5 eligible finishers, not already qualified, from the 2007 Laser National Championship (date and location to be announced).
• Winner of the 2007 U.S. Singlehanded Championship (date and location to be announced).
• Eligible finishers by rank, not already qualified, from the 2007 Laser/Laser Radial Last Chance Regatta (date to be announced, Cedar Point Yacht Club, Westport, Conn.) until all 33 slots are filled.
Laser Radial (22 slots):
• Top 5 from the 2007 US Sailing Team Rankings as of March 2007 (www.ussailing.org/olympics/2007/rankingsystems.htm for more information).
• Top 10 eligible finishers, not already qualified, from the 2007 Women’s Laser Radial North American Championship (February 1-4, 2007, Lauderdale Yacht Club, Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.).
• Eligible finishers by rank, not already qualified, from the 2007 Laser/Laser Radial Last Chance Regatta (date to be announced, Cedar Point Yacht Club, Westport, Conn.) until all 22 slots are filled.
Star (20 slots):
• Top 5 from the 2007 US Sailing Team Rankings as of March 2007
(www.ussailing.org/olympics/2007/rankingsystems.htm for more information).
• Top 5 eligible finishers, not already qualified, from the 2007 Star Western Hemisphere Championship (March 31-April 5, 2007, Davis Island Yacht Club, Tampa, Fla.).
• Top 5 eligible finishers, not already qualified, from the 2007 Star North American Championship (July 30-August 4, 2007, Royal Vancouver Yacht Club, Vancouver, Canada).
• Eligible finishers by rank, not already qualified, from the 2007 Star Last Chance Regatta (date and location to be announced) until all 20 slots are filled.
Upon approval from the U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC), the athletes who win the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Sailing will be named to the U.S. Olympic Team and will compete in the Olympic Regatta, to be held August 9-21, 2008 in Qingdao, China.
Helsinki, Finland (November 6, 2006) - The International Sailing Federation (ISAF) and Rolex announced US Sailing Team member Paige Railey (Clearwater, Fla.) as winner of the ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year Award 2006 today. At an awards ceremony in Helsinki, Finland, Railey was honored for her outstanding sailing achievements between September 1, 2005 and August 31, 2006, when she won a number of major international regattas in the Laser Radial.
This is the second consecutive year that Paige Railey was nominated for the female ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year Award. Railey, who is 19 years old, has proven herself as the sailor to beat in the Laser Radial, which was selected two years ago as the new equipment for the Women's One Person Dinghy Olympic event.
With no prior experience of Olympic level sailing, the teenager's meteoric rise to the top of the sport has shocked Railey more than anyone. But her lack of experience proved no barrier to success as she has moved seamlessly from the top of the youth sailing world to the top of the sport at senior level. In 2005, Railey won the Volvo Youth Sailing ISAF World Championship in Korea and a few months later went on to win the Laser Radial World Championships in Brazil.
Railey opened the 2006 season with victories at the French Olympic Sailing Week and the ISAF World Sailing Games in Austria, although she struggled during the summer at the European and World Championships with some below par performances. However in August she bounced back in fine style, to win a challenging Olympic Test Regatta in Qingdao, China, the venue for the Olympic Sailing Competition in 2008.
Paige Railey commented:
"This comes as a shock, I didn't really think I had the chance to win. I was really excited just to be nominated again. So to win it, I can't tell you how excited I am. It has been an amazing year. Winning the World Championship in Brazil last year, I really didn't expect to win that regatta. It was my first World Championship at the senior level, and when I first got into Olympic sailing I was really stressed about being immersed in that scene. I was told I'd have to work my way up from the bottom, so to get in at the top was a real surprise. This year winning the Olympic Test Regatta in Qingdao was a real high point. I was just coming out of a slump, and then I had a really good event in China.
"I'd like to thank my family and my coach, Kaj Glinkiewicz, because they're pretty much the backbone for my sailing campaign. And thanks to my training partner Ben Paton and to my federation, US SAILING, for all the excellent work they're doing on behalf of sailors like me."
Railey won the award along with Mike Sanderson (NZL), winning skipper of the Volvo Ocean Race. The two winners were each presented with a Rolex timepiece and the marble and silver World Sailor Trophy - a solid marble sphere depicting the world and crowned by five silver spinnakers representing the continents. The ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year Awards dinner took place during the ISAF Annual Conference. The awards presentation was hosted by renowned sailor and sailing commentator Gary Jobson (Annapolis, Md.) and attended by more than 400 hundred guests from 45 nations, including international sailors and prominent personalities from the sailing world. Presenting the Awards were ISAF President of Honor HM King Constantine and Arnaud Boetsch of Rolex.
This is the second time that a USA sailor has been named ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year since the awards were first presented in 1994. In 2000, USA’s Mark Reynolds and Magnus Liljedahl won the award after winning gold medals in the Star class at the 2000 Olympic Games and 2000 Star World Championship, as well as several other major events that year.